The following contains spoilers from Secret Invasion Season 1, Episode 2, "Promises," now streaming on Disney+.
As Secret Invasion Episode 2 unfolds, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury finds himself in quite a bind. He's realized how serious Gravik's threat is after the Moscow bombing. And even more terrifying than that, he can't call The Avengers in to act as an equalizer.
Luckily, he's got Talos to help out, but Fury can tell the numbers are against them. As they discuss plans moving forward, though, a key reference is made to Emperor Drogge. And for fans of the Secret Invasion comics, this is something to take note of because it may inform why there'll be a lot more death and destruction to come in the Disney+ series.
Who Is the MCU's Emperor Drogge?
After Maria Hill is killed, Talos secrets an angry Fury away via a Russian train. When Fury asks about the increasing Skrull population, he's annoyed because he didn't cater to millions coming over. Talos explains that Skrullos (the home planet of the Skrulls) fell after being attacked by the Kree, so once he put a message out, a huge number of refugees came slipping over to Earth.
However, as Fury presses him for all the secrets, Talos admits the only ones who didn't sneak over belonged to a colony run by someone named Emperor Drogge. Talos doesn't seem too happy when mentioning Drogge's name, teasing that this person's a villain. Sadly, nothing more's provided about the mysterious character.
It has fans curious if Drogge's colony has been sending folks over to help Gravik take Earth. It may be they want to be with the rest of their species, and helping Gravik can provide a paradise where they can all be united. Hopefully, more will be detailed in the coming episodes, but if the show follows the books, there's trouble ahead.
Marvel Comics' Dro'ge Is a Devious Scientist
While Emperor Drogge doesn't appear in the comics, the Skrull empire under Queen Veranke had a High Priest involved in science experiments named Dro'ge Fenu Edu. This shape-shifter debuted in 2008 and was one of the smartest in the empire. He manipulated genetics and perfected the engineering industry for his ruler's crusade. Simply put, he's the Skrull equivalent of Reed Richards.
It's ironic because when The Illuminati snuck over to oppose them before the heroes escaped, Dro'ge captured and experimented on a couple of members. This gave him insight into their memories and the DNA of many heroes and villains. It allowed Dro'ge to upgrade the Warskrull program and make more powerful Super-Skrulls. These beings had the powers of Asgardians, mutants and Avengers, which led to carnage when the Skrull armada arrived on Earth.
Now, this series' Drogge could follow this path, but rather than having a queen, he may well be working under Gravik. The latter has made it clear he wants to eliminate humanity, which is why he's working with a scientist, Dalton, on Earth to augment and empower Skrulls. G'iah found evidence the Skrulls are using Extremis, Cull Obsidian and a Frost Beast. Plus, Gravik was seen in trailers mimicking Groot's powers. Thus, it could be Dalton's really using Dro'ge's research from his colony, the same way Dro'ge used Granok's data to upgrade his project in the books. Ultimately, remixing the character like this would sync up with the comics and provide Gravik with the perfect army for this purge.
Secret Invasion debuts new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.